Alliance Française Banjul launched a new exhibition last week to showcase works produced by French painter, illustrator and visual artist Patrick Singh during his artistic residency program in the Gambia.
Singh has dedicated the past decades to artistic residencies around the world as well as exhibitions and publications of his engaging artworks which reflect a rich variety of social and cultural influences and experiences.
Patrick excels in painting, drawing, artist books, and travel journals and his work is deeply rooted in the societies he encounters, capturing their delicate humanity with sensitivity. He was invited to Banjul for a two-month artistic residency program by the Alliance Francaise during which he interacted with local communities inspiring his production.
His exhibition was inaugurated at the Alliance gardens on Tuesday in the presence of the French educated Gambian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Mamadou Tangara, and the Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Professor Pierre Gomez.

The portraits will be on view at the Alliance Francaise along Kairaba Avenue throughout this February.
Alliance Francaise director Justine Guschlbauer commented; “Our cultural center is delighted to be able to give French, French-speaking and Gambian artists the opportunity to work on their artistic projects. French painter Patrick Singh developed his art during his two-month residency at the Musa Ngum artists’ house. He painted canvases, painted on everyday objects (tangues, kettles), created books of Gambian life stories and paid tribute to Gambians with magnificent portraits. I encourage everyone to come and see his sumptuous work.”
During his residency, Patrick also collaborated with Amnesty International Banjul and worked on a magnificent drawing concert with French musician Waagal and Gambian kora player Musa Susso.
“These cultural encounters, under the impetus of the Alliance Française, give rise to unique artworks that resonate with our cultures, and we’re delighted,” director Justine added.

Patrick commented that; “With drawing and painting as my main mediums, this period of residency, based on an open approach to human society and its environment, generated interactions that inspired original graphic and pictorial production. The work was nourished on a daily basis by impressions, discoveries and exchanges. Since humanity has always been at the heart of my artistic approach, meetings with resource people, cultural and social players, local residents and students were sources of inspiration and collaboration throughout the process. During my residency I created a boat library. In a way, it’s a case of recycling a pirogue and transforming it into a library. The aim was to create a symbolic work that refers to Gambian culture (fishing) to become a work of land art and an educational tool in the Alliance’s physical and symbolic landscape.”
The library was conceived as a tribute to Gambian writers.